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FKI is a global engineering company who offer a Graduate Development Programme, accredited by IMechE and IET, with placements around the world.

Here are two case studies that give some insight into the wide range of professional and personal development opportunities that our programme offers to talented engineering graduates.

Neal Kierans - Concept Design Engineer
Nicola Huntley -  Graduate  Trainee


For further information on FKI and the exhibitions that we advertise at why not read our Company Profile


Neal Kierans - Concept Design Engineer

Name: Neal Kierans

Job title: Concept Design Engineer

University attended:
Dublin City University
Dublin Institute of Technology

Degree obtained:
B.Eng. in Mechatronics
M.Eng. in Advanced Engineering

I joined FKI after I completed my Masters. I already worked in Ireland and Austria on work experience, but was still unsure what area of engineering I wanted to specialise in. The FKI grad scheme offered various engineering roles in diverse locations that would help me discover my ideal role in engineering

On the grad scheme I was exposed to various businesses practices and engineering disciplines. From a turbogenerator manufacturing plant, to a steel wire rope factory in China, a postage and packaging design sortation office in USA, and finally I was located in a product sortation design office in the UK. Each business is different so I faced new challenges every 6 months and had to integrate very quickly to get involved and be productive.

I gained an abundance of experience over the two years. Every work culture was so different and I had to adapt to my surroundings. Coming from Ireland, I felt I was doing 4 overseas placements rather than two. While communication was easy in the UK and USA, I had no friends or family to rely on, so I learned how to integrate and developed my own personal confidence to survive in the real world independently.

Going to China on my own offered the biggest challenge of my life and produced the biggest rewards on so many levels. It was extremely intimidating beforehand, I was the first graduate to go, I didn’t know the language, and I had no friends or family to take comfort in from the culture shock... The situation made me determined to make the most of the placement and helped me embrace China and its rich culture. When I left I felt I was leaving a second home and a second family behind.

The company took great care of me and helped me settle. I was included in many nights out and always had an amazing time. Tianjin is a non-westernized city; very few spoke English so I needed to learn Mandarin quickly to be able to survive. The translator helped me at the start, by the end I could communicate with my colleagues in Mandarin when he was unavailable. I met so many people and found myself in bizarre places eating incredible food made from the most unlikely ingredients!

The four placements improved my confidence both professionally and personally. I was constantly challenged, which is the key feature of the scheme. I’ve learned it’s the best way to develop skills and discover natural abilities I never knew that existed. The scheme has helped me envision what type of career in engineering would suit me best. The FKI grad scheme has the system in place to help me realise my goals and ambitions for the future.

Since finishing the grad scheme I joined FKI Logistex in the UK and have taken on a design engineering role. I now have added responsibility and tighter deadlines with quick project turnaround, which gives my career an exciting and dynamic nature. My placement in the US has helped me appreciate my American colleagues whom I liaise with regularly regarding various projects. It has been a steep learning curve since I started my permanent role, being thrown in the deep end has brought the best out of myself – this experience has proved that the greater the challenges, the greater the rewards.


Nicola Huntley - Graduate Trainee

Name:
Nicola Huntley

Job title:
Graduate Trainee

University attended:
University of Birmingham

Degree obtained:
Ma Mechanical & Automative Engineering

I accepted my job with FKI during my final year at university. There were a vast amount of graduate jobs advertised, but most specialized in one particular area of engineering. The FKI scheme allowed me to gain the experience of four different companies, in different fields of engineering, in three countries- something that no other company could offer.

At the start of employment, you can discuss what opportunities within FKI that you would like to explore. During my time with FKI, I have been placed at a company that designs and builds Dynamometers in Worcester (UK), a company that performers engineering works on Locomotives in Loughborough (UK), a company that designs and implements multi-million dollar conveyor-system projects in the US and am about to embark upon a placement in Gelsenkirchen (Germany) with a company that is a world-leader in wire-rope manufacturing. The experience I have gained at each of these placements has been so diverse and extremely interesting. Re-locating every six months means that you can never feel stagnant at a company and are always working towards your next goal.

The nature of your role in FKI means that there is a massive scope of work available to you and it is possible to apply yourself in a manner and in an area that you can be most effective. I particularly enjoy hands-on engineering and was the first graduate to take on a service engineer position in a locomotive company. I learned massive amounts about a product I was previously unfamiliar with and gained the opportunity to vastly improve my practical skills. I also learned how to integrate effectively within a team environment as I worked and traveled the country with a small group of engineers.

Working in the United States was a fantastic aspect of the scheme for me. I had never traveled before and so, thought it may be a daunting experience. However, the support you receive from FKI, the visiting company and everyone you meet along the way means that it is an unbeatable experience. During my placement there, I found an area where I could undertake some valuable work for the company and therefore, taught myself to program in Visual Basic and created a program that is intrinsic to their processes and that the company will use for years to come. Each project you embark upon within each company allows you to further your knowledge, skills and understanding whilst also producing valuable work for the company you are placed at.

The FKI scheme means that you do not limit yourself straight out of university. It allows you to explore different companies, different countries and the world of being an engineering graduate. The experience I have gained, the lessons I have learned, the range of work that I have undertaken and challenges I have overcome is what the FKI scheme is all about.

 
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